Marchers abandoned their cars to march on Highway 94 in Bismarck, North Dakota near the Standing Rock Camp that has stood since April. They performed a sacred water ceremony to protect the water of the Missouri River from contamination expected from the Dakota Access Pipeline. (all photos: The Nation Report)
BISMARCK, North Dakota – This morning around 10:00 AM local time about 100 cars left Standing Rock Camp where thousands coming from indigenous nations and their supporters have at times held off construction equipment owned by the Dakota Access Pipeline. The cars arrived to the entrance of the capital of North Dakota, Bismarck, on State Highway 94, stopped their cars, and left their automobiles to march down the highway in front of them. Participants marched about one mile to the next intersection to perform a sacred water ceremony. State troopers, US Marines, along with officers from South Dakota were on location at the next intersection and after about 30 minutes ordered marchers off the highway.
After the ceremony, marchers returned to their cars. There were no arrests. (photos of the march below)
From there the protectors continued on to the Morton County Memorial Court House to support the twenty-seven people with court appearances today who are facing felony trespassing charges. Those charges stem from a Labor Day weekend action to block construction equipment from laying the pipeline. All charges were dropped against those whose appearances were scheduled for today and all charges are expected to be dropped against protectors who were charged on September 3.
Outside of the court house police ordered supporters to the sidewalk where the protectors performed another sacred ceremony. During the ceremony a police officer reached over Dennis Moynihan of Democracy Now! as Moynihan was filming from the street in order to arrest a participant in the ceremony. Moynihan was allowed to continue recording despite police warning to other reporters to a press area off of the street. More police in riot gear arrived but ceremony participants dispersed following the ceremony. The unidentified resister was the only arrest. At the time of this report, charges had not been named against the person arrested.
Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! gives a statement outside of Morton County Memorial Courthouse announcing that her charges have been dropped and challenged “mainstream media to cover this historic moment in time.”
Charges against Democracy Now! Executive Producer Amy Goodman were also dropped. Goodman who was reporting on September 3 from the location of the pipeline construction had been charged with trespassing, but those charges were later changed to rioting by the prosecuting attorney.
At a press conference this morning, Democracy Now! vowed to continue reporting saying that the charge was an infringement on the freedom of the press, according to Goodman.
